Turkey has sent two ships and a submarine to monitor a drilling vessel in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, the military said on Thursday, in a move likely to increase tension with Cyprus after reunification talks failed last week.
The drilling work, a contractual obligation between Cyprus and France’s Total (TOTF.PA), comes a week after the collapse of talks to reunify the divided island nation, split between ethnic Greek and Turkish Cypriots.
Ankara has said it will take measures against Cyprus for engaging in gas and oil exploration around the island. It says that hydrocarbon resources in the waters around the divided island should belong to both sides.
The military said it had deployed the frigates and a submarine to the eastern Mediterranean to “guarantee the security of oil transportation”.
Another frigate was dispatched to monitor a drilling vessel off the coast of Cyprus, it said.
Turkey’s energy and foreign ministries are working together to plan steps against the Greek side’s unilateral steps, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday, without giving details on what those steps might entail.
The “West Capella” drilling vessel, which was contracted by France’s Total (TOTF.PA) and Italy Eni (ENI.MI), moved into position to start exploring for gas this week.
Turkey, which invaded Cyprus’s north in 1974 in response to a brief Greek-inspired coup, says the island’s internationally recognized government has no jurisdiction to explore for hydrocarbons.
The data from the exploratory well Onisiforos W-1 to be sunk by Total-ENI in Block 11 of Cyprus EEZ will remain secret pending results which are expected towards the beginning of September, according to Lakkotrypis.
“There is a sense of relief that everything has started off on the right foot,” said the Minister, indicating that the drilling rig West Capella which arrived at the designated drilling spot at 01.30am Wednesday morning was currently being supplied with the necessary equipment and supplies needed to commence the drilling.
“It is of significant importance as it is the first well in what we call the second licensing round in the eastern Mediterranean, centering on the underwater mountain range Eratosthenis and the discovery of the Zohr gas field in Egypt.”
Lakkotrypis indicated that the well will either support or disprove the model built around the discovery of Zohr with regards to carbonate rock layers around Eratosthenis. “The results will be known by the beginning to mid-September,” he added.
“Because we can see the geological structure through the seismic charts, if there is a discovery, we do not expect it to be large one.”
Drilling crews on the West Capella have started preliminary testing before the scheduled start of operations.
“Despite from what we have heard (from Turkey) the drilling will start and we hope for the best possible results in order to promote the interests of our country,” said Lakkotrypis
The Onisiforos W-1 well is expected to be completed within 75 days approximately and expected to reach a depth of 4,250 below mean sea level with an ocean floor depth of 1,698 metres.